It is as if the world were again believed to be flat. It’s not, but extraordinary navigation tools are recommended to swim against this political undertow. One such resource is Zionism Unsettled: A Congregational Study Guide, (ZU) published in 2014 by IPMN, the Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church. The Zionism Unsettled study guide stands alone as a resource for study groups, congregations and individuals. It is based on a longer book, Zionism and the Quest for Justice in the Holy Land, edited by Donald E. Wagner and Walter T. Davis, published in 2014 by Wipf & Stock.

Now seven decades into the Israel-Palestine conflict, a new lens is imperative. ZU focuses on political and religious Zionism. In so doing, it provides a framework that challenges dominant tropes in religion and politics, and thereby opens a space for a fresh accounting of history and theology. An unprecedented opportunity unfolds: To understand the logic of Zionism, both as the movement originally founded to combat anti-Semitism, and today, as the political ideology that undergirds nationalistic claims, policies of expansion, and exceptionalism.

Absent animus or vitriol, Zionism Unsettled exposes the toxic alchemy of theology and politics. By examining how the Bible can be used to liberate or oppress, ZU pushes beyond the comfort zone. It illuminates the power of emotions and dogma to shape beliefs, as it underscores the crucial role of information in deconstructing preconceived views.

As such, ZU is fundamentally a criticism of exceptionalism found in all three Abrahamic religions. Rabbi Brant Rosen makes the point, “[E]xceptionalism is not unique to Zionism; rather it is present wherever exceptionalist religious ideology is fused with political power.”

Zionism Unsettled may be unsettling. Yet still, its reading and study hold promise for simple, yet radical conversations across the political divide. Consider gifting Zionism Unsettled this holiday season to family, friends, and to members of your community with whom you want to have transformative conversations. Each chapter has corresponding short video episodes that groups can watch together and discuss.

This pivotal moment in history demands broad coalitions that advance the project of human emancipation – ones that offer fresh ground on which to stand together. The time is ripe for a new approach. The antidote to free fall is to step back, gather new information, and welcome the cognitive dissonance that comes with engaging realities and lived experiences that cross lines of race, class, religion, and politics. The result may well be a seismic shift in understanding – one that sparks intersectional organizing, and sows seeds for collective actions that champion universal values and human rights.

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21 Responses

The fourth paragraph has a rather humorous but telling oxymoron. “Absent vitriol……..exposes toxic alchemy…” Lol.

So, it’s not really a hateful book against Zionism, it just spells out how hateful Zionism is. Check.
MW is one of the best sources for Israeli focused hypocrisy on the web and statements such as the above are neither unsettling nor surprising.

excuse me. i suppose I was going by the archaic meaning of vitriol is sulphuric acid and or compositions of acid and other chemicals while “toxic” means a mixture of poisonous chemicals. p[robably oxymoron isn’t the best word for the sentence. But ‘vitriol’ and ‘toxic’ are essentially the same things and she claims there was an absence of one in exposing of the other. I guess its perfectly clear to you how the sentence is not a contradiction. And really annie, its not as if I expect you to have any problems with authors premise. it also probably wouldn’t strike you as ‘funny’ that while not expressing any ‘poisonous chemicals’ towards zionism it exposed a brew of ‘toxic chemicals’ while expressing what it found out about zionism. crazy me.

you know the meaning of archaic right? “obsolete -no longer in everyday use but sometimes used to impart an old-fashioned flavor.” don’t play games, anyone familiar w/ archaic meaning also knows the common usage. same goes for the word toxic: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=toxic and no, they don’t mean the same thing although one generally leads to the next.

let’s review what the author wrote:

Absent animus or vitriol, Zionism Unsettled exposes the toxic alchemy of theology and politics. By examining how the Bible can be used to liberate or oppress, ZU pushes beyond the comfort zone. It illuminates the power of emotions and dogma to shape beliefs, as it underscores the crucial role of information in deconstructing preconceived views.

maybe you should familiar yourself with ZU, it doesn’t take long to read. and then criticize it on it’s merits instead of fabrications in your own mind based on archaic interpretations of language (more strawmen).

either way, take a bow. you have successfully trolled and dominated the comment section with your asinine uninformed ‘critique’.

“one of the best”. but not the only, of course. i agree that the 2 you mentioned can be as well. and, individual zionists are included in some of the biggest hypocrites i have known, read or met. and i am certain your idea of what makes for a hypocrite is a lot different then mine. but then who knows…

your MW doppelganger am has posted a more reasonable response that runs along the same lines as yours without jumbling the grammtical conflicts.

your use of the adverb ‘vitriol’ is very different then the authors use of the preposition ‘without’ vitriol and the verb ‘exposes’ toxic.

try and imagine a simpler example:

Without any evil intent the author exposes evil intent of ________. It would be typical for you to accept such an uncritical and presumptuous statement of what constitutes judging what is evil intent by exposing what the same writer believes is ‘evil intent’.
At best, its simply another worthless opinion. That I would concede.

I think you have finally posted something all readers could agree with. Your comment was indeed a worthless opinion and your concession is accepted.

Btw your comment elsewhere is risible wrt to the importance of millenials. There wouldn’t be some many new orgs devoted to suppressing free speech on campus and harrassing youth if they weren’t quite relevant. The news and opinion articles in the Israeli press also reflect the importance and priority. Yet another worthless opinion from you.

The article says:
” To understand the logic of Zionism, both as the movement originally founded to combat anti-Semitism ”
Zionism was never founded as a movement to combat antiSemitism. On the contrary, Zionism sees AntiSemitism as an inherent trait among gentiles and therefor set out to found a “Jewish State” where Jews will be in control and won’t have to encounter AntiSemitism. Zionism flourishes when there is Antisemitism which causes Jews to leave their homelands and make “Aliya” to the “Jewish State” and in doing so help to solve the racist “Demographic problem” (Increasing the percentage of Jews in Palestine).
If there was no Antisemitism the Zionists would have invented it.

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